God revealed to Jeremiah that his enemies were plotting against him and were planning to kill him. The Lord knew that Jeremiah’s heart and mind were set on God’s will, so he protected him. Today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds us of a similar situation where God judged and protected David. Both readings mention that God searches people’s hearts and minds. The righteous ones are protected because they seek God’s will. The Gospel proclamation speaks about the pharisees who were plotting against Jesus. The common theme is that when we follow God and seek the will of God in our lives, we will likely encounter many obstacles. God always searches our hearts and minds for our true intentions and if our intentions are upright and righteous, we never have to be afraid or worry about our enemies because God will handle them on our behalf. We should not seek revenge or vengeance because God has a plan for everyone.

PRAYER: Abba Father, help us to seek you and live according to your will so that we may remain upright and righteous in your eyes. Amen.